U.K. investigating reports Russian warship fired warning shots near a yacht in the English Channel

LONDON — Reports that a Russian warship fired warning shots at a British yacht were being investigated Tuesday by the U.K.’s defense ministry.

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The ministry said in a statement it was looking into the reports of an incident in the English Channel.

A British official familiar with the incident said reports had been received from a U.K.-registered yacht alleging that a Russian Navy vessel fired warning shots nearby, around 500 yards away.

They added that the incident was understood to have taken place outside U.K. territorial waters around 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, a small island off England’s south coast.

No injuries or damage have been reported by the yacht, which is continuing its journey, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could provide more detail on a sensitive international issue. They added that it was being viewed as an isolated incident.

The HMS Mersey, a Royal Navy patrol ship was monitoring the Russian vessel at the time, they said.

The Russian embassy in London did ‌not immediately ​respond to NBC News’ request for comment.